Davante Adams
The Green Bay Packers knew San Francisco wanted to run the football, but they offered little in terms of stopping or even slowing the 49ers down. The result was another lopsided contest between the two teams this season.
In November, the Packers fell behind 23-0 at halftime and went on to lose 37-8 at Levi Stadium. On Sunday, the Packers fell behind 27-0 at halftime and lost 37-20 in the NFC Championship game.
The 49ers ran just 50 total plays from scrimmage and 42 of the 50 were running plays. When asked why he kept calling run plays, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan said because it kept working.
The Niners racked up 285 yards on the ground. Raheem Mostert finished with 29 carries for 220 yards and four touchdowns. They only needed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to hand off. He finished 6 of 8 through the air, for 77 yards.
The Packers struggled to get their offense going in the first half, totaling 51 yards rushing and 65 passing. It wasn’t until the second half, that Aaron Rodgers would start to move the offense. He finished 31 of 39 for 326 yards and two touchdowns. But Rodgers also tossed a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble as the Packers lost the turnover battle 3-0.
Green Bay couldn’t get their top receiver, Davante Adams going in the first half. He had just one catch for seven yards. Things were better in the second half for Adams. He finished the game with nine receptions for 138 yards. But the Packers had simply dug too big of a hole to crawl out of.
Rodgers two touchdown passes did give him 40 in his playoff career, breaking Brett Favre’s franchise record of 39. Rodgers also has seven straight playoff games with at least two touchdown passes, that’s one shy of the record held by Joe Flacco.
Mostert carried the ball just eight times during his first three years in the NFL. But he led the 49ers with 772 yards rushing during the regular season. San Francisco is the 7th team that Mostert has played for and it would appear that San Francisco is a place he can finally call home.
Mostert’s 220 rushing yards is second in a playoff game to Eric Dickerson’s 248 yards back on Jan. 4, 1986. He’s also the first player to rush for at least four touchdowns and 200 yards in a playoff game.
The Packers finish the season 14-4 under first year head coach Matt LaFleur. He returned the Packers to the postseason after they missed the playoffs the last two years.
On the injury front, safety Adrian Amos left the game after injuring his pectoral muscle in the first half. Defensive back Jaire Alexander left in the second half with a thumb injury and didn’t return.
The 49ers lost running back Tevin Coleman in the first half with a shoulder injury and didn’t return.
San Francisco makes its seventh appearance in the Super Bowl. They’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs on February 2, in Miami.